Fatal Flaws in Measuring Landfill Gas Generation Rates by Empirical Well Testing

Abstract

Well testing procedures, such as the Tier 3 methodology specified in the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Subtitle D, are commonly used for directly estimating landfill gas (LFG) emissions at municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills. Similar procedures are also used to estimate LFG generation rates for the design of LFG-to-energy projects. These methodologies assume that the LFG generation rate equals the extraction rate of a test gas well within its radius of influence (ROI). The ROI is defined as the distance from the extraction well at which the induced pressure drop is immeasurable by some standard of precision. Based on fluid dynamic principles, Tier 3 and similar methodologies are demonstrated to be incapable of providing reliable estimates of the LFG generation rate. These tests may either over- or underestimate the LFG generation rate depending on the precision with which the ROI is determined, but they will only coincidentally produce an estimate that accurately represents the actual LFG generation rate. Fluid dynamic principles dictate that the actual LFG generation rate can only be estimated if the pneumatic properties of the refuse and cover materials as well as the excess pressure in the refuse caused by LFG generation are known or can be estimated.